Charm
Southern Pennsylvania's Brandywine Valley cradles the elegant Inn at Whitewing Farm amongst its rolling hills. Regular accolades are showered on this lovely destination: Glamour Magazine named Whitewing one of six top romantic places. And Home Journal Magazine wrote "Whitewing Farm looks as if God took a hand full of diamonds and sprinkled them across its property."
Accolades are well-deserved - hosts Lance and Sandy Shortt lavish guests with warm welcomes and the most delicious fare. The renovated 1796 haybarn is backdrop to a hearty 'county-style' breakfast - tables adorned with garden blooms, fresh-ground coffee wafting guests awake, and fried-banana crepes. Post-breakfast coffee turns into post-breakfast second coffee as Lance entertains guests with stories of the fabulously wealthy Dupont family - local entrepreneurs who started out in the gunpowder and explosives business. We heard about Whitewing pond dwellers Sonny and Cher - two large Koi, and Blue Heron Maxine who frequents the land with tiny Blue Heron `Baby Blue`. Here we learned plenty about what we just had to see at the local 1,077 acre Longwood Gardens.
Accommodations are furnished in 'hunt country elegance' - something I would describe as a mixture of grandeur and charm. The hunt country theme carries through to stately guest-house names: The Carriage House, Stables and Saddle Barn Suites. Add just a hint of jazz with rooms named after jazz greats "Fats" and "Fanny Wallow". Marble floors, hand-made pillows, and en-suite fireplaces complete the ambiance with charm and luxury .
Now step out your door and survey the land - a panorama steeped in history and horticultural rarities. A large swath of Brandywine Valley, including Whitewing Farm once held the finest tree collection in America. Much of the land was sold to Pierre DuPont who turned it into what is now known as the renowned Longwood horticultural Gardens. As treasurer of Longwood, Whitewing's previous owner received gifts of rare trees that now decorate the landscape.
At the end of your day, sip a delectable local wine from the 1200 bottle wine cellar. Watch fireflys light the darkening sky. Now close your eyes, relax, and enjoy - a moment of perfect serenity combined with Whitewing's lavish comfort is one to be savoured.
www.innatwhitewingfarm.com/
Grandeur and
By Nicola Gordon
Inns E-Magazine | Fall 2013 | 22